Following Part One titled Beyond What Was Contemporary Art (19-20 April 2012, Vienna), Part Two of the 3rd FORMER WEST Research Congress bases its discussions on a question ushered in by theorist and curator Irit Rogoff in her closing keynote address for Part One: "What on earth do they mean when they say art?" Admittedly a question that is as difficult as it is intriguing, it seems to be a critical one to not only pose but to begin to answer at this moment in history when the hegemonic formations of the last 20-odd years are being dismantled.

The 3rd FORMER WEST Research Congress, Part Two is developed by BAK, basis voor actuele kunst and co-curated by What, How and for Whom/WHW and the FORMER WEST curatorial team. The 3rd FORMER WEST Research Congress, Part Two is realized in collaboration with Utrecht School of the Arts. It is generously supported by the Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam and the EU Culture Programme, Brussels.

The research exhibition After History: Alexandre Kojčve as a Photographer (May-15 July 2012), curated by philosopher and art historian Boris Groys, unveils the unique photographic work of Russian-born French philosopher and diplomat Alexandre Kojčve (1902-1968). The photographs he took on his global travels in the 1950s and 1960s, and the many postcards that he collected during his lifetime, capture the essence of both his philosophical thinking and political work. Kojčve's notion of the "end of history" manifests in these countless repetitive images of a world awaiting an ideal imaginary of freedom, justice, and equality to be realized through activism-not unlike our expectant world of today.

Guided tours providing an introduction to the exhibition are offered in Dutch on the first Sunday of each month that the exhibition is on view. BAK welcomes you to attend the introduction tour (in Dutch) on 1 July at 15:00 hrs. The tour focuses on how Kojčve's ideas are reflected in his photographic practice, elaborate further on the propositions and interpretations of curator Boris Groys, and position the exhibition within a broader, FORMER WEST discourse. The tour takes approximately 60 minutes, and is free-of-charge with the price of admission. To make an appointment for a guided tour in English, please send an e-mail to: info@bak-utrecht.nl.

For more information on After History: Alexandre Kojčve as a Photographer: www.bak-utrecht.nl.

Lecture Boris Groys online: Alexandre Kojčve: After History

We are pleased to announce that the lecture titled Alexandre Kojčve: After History by exhibition curator and FORMER WEST research advisor Boris Groys is now available for viewing via the Digital Platform of FORMER WEST: www.formerwest.org. The lecture focuses on Kojčve's multifaceted biography, his renowned philosophical positions, and the developments in his work and thinking over the course of his eventful life. Departing from reflections on Kojčve's biography, Groys explores the remarkable relationship between Kojčve's writing and photographic practice. In doing so, Groys aptly illustrates how this long-hidden collection is of vast importance to our understanding of the present moment and its corresponding challenges.